Barista Nation Mania!

Photo from the Barista Nation San Francisco event in January, which brought almost 200 coffee people together!

It’s no secret that we here at Barista Magazine are big fans of Barista Nation, the one-day workshop events that are organized for baristas and cafe owners as forums for learning and sharing, and celebrating everything about coffee. In fact, when the organizer of Barista Nation—our old and dear friend Anastasia Chovan—first asked us to be a part of it, we jumped on board big time, and Barista Magazine has been a Council Sponsor ever since.

What we really love about Barista Nation is that it’s completely inclusive—no snotty attitudes here. There are certain product companies that sponsor the event, but Barista Nation isn’t about sales pitches: it’s about coming together as a community to learn from some industry experts, talk about topics that have been weighing on your minds, play with coffee equipment and products, and just have a good time together.

And hey, guess what? It’s been an enormous hit. No wonder—with a happy, grassroots, inclusive format like it has. Barista Nation has taken place in Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., and is set to hit Portland (April 17), Tokyo (May 10) and Vancouver, B.C. (June 22), along with even more cities later in the year.

If you’re planning on coming to Portland for the SCAA show in April, you’d do well to come early and hit the Barista Nation event, which takes place all day and into the evening on April 17 at the beautiful Wonder Ballroom in Portland.

And if you happen to be in Tokyo on May 10, join Barista Nation for its first Japan adventure!

As always, Barista Nation is free to attend, and all are welcome. For more information, go to baristanation.com.